An Expat’s Top 10 iPhone & iPodTouch Apps

For you (us) iPod Touch & iPhone owners, here is a great list of what we should have installed on our toys, er…devices. Well, it’s at least a great list to start with. Some of my personal favorites, not listed here include the Facebook app and at least one Tower defense game.

1. iMetro – USD 1.99 (CHF 2.02, EUR 1.38) to upload. This app provides metro maps for 28 cities around the world, including Lausanne, Paris and Berlin, keeping you from wasting money on taxi fares. The metro maps are scalable, so you can zoom in or out to find your way. There are quite a few metro apps out there, but I like this one best because of the large number of available maps for the low cost.

2. Sit or Squat – Free. This user-maintained database identifies free public toilets around the world. Over 65,000 toilets have been identified by users. To use, enter the nearest address, city, zip code or intersection and it will generate a list of the nearest toilets. You can also check out the reviews and comments for each toilet at www.sitorsquat.com.
3. Gate Maps – USD 0.99 to upload. This app provides airport terminal layouts for over 30 international airports. It runs offline, avoiding charges for uploading data overseas. Savvy travelers can check the map of their arrival airport in-flight so that they can speed off to their destination upon landing.
4. Flight Track Pro – USD 9.99 to upload. This application integrates with the online travel organiser TripIt, saving your flight itineraries and keeping you up-to-date on delays, gate changes, cancellations and more. The offline mode allows you to check your most recent flight details without the use of wi-fi.
5. Packing Pro – USD 3.99 to upload. This handy packing checklist will keep you from arriving in the Caribbean without a swimsuit! Create your own list or work from one of several custom templates.
6. Spend – USD 0.99 to upload. I love, love, love this app! It solves the problem of how to keep track of all the daily cash transactions that occur on vacation or in everyday life overseas. This is a top-notch tool for accounting as well as budgeting.
7. WifiTrak – USD 0.99 to upload. This handy app locates free wi-fi signals nearby; perfect for the traveler on the move.
8. HiConverter – USD 0.99 to upload. This fantastic conversion tool incorporates all the usual measurements such as temperature, currency exchange rates, distance, as well as some surprises including clothing and shoe size conversions. It also includes features from the popular app Tipulator, allowing you to calculate the tip on a bill.
9. Lingolook Flashcards – USD 4.99 to upload. These flashcards list 500 translations of the most common words in an easy-to-use flashcard format (100 actual cards). Bonus: 300 of the translations come with an audio clip from a native speaker to help you perfect the pronunciation. The cards are available in seven languages including Spanish, French and German. The best part of this app is that it lives in the phone, requiring no data transmissions (or ensuing bills) overseas.and last buy not least….
10. Lonely Planet City Guides – USD 14.99 to upload. If you don’t feel like lugging around a big guide book, download a Lonely Planet City Guide instead. For USD 14.99 you can access one of 20 major cities, including Amsterdam, London and Barcelona. Designed as a stand-alone application, this program does not require a data download, saving you roaming charges. It is however GPS-enabled, so you can find your location on the application’s city maps.

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Jeff

I'm just another expat like you. (Or are you still waiting?)
In my case, I am an American living on the eastern Canadian seaboard. My job? I'm a stay-at-home dad for two small but demanding bosses.
We are supported by my highly intelligent and beautiful wife. My wife and I met in South Korea while teaching English. Together we have also lived in Czech Republic, giving us a lot of stories to tell and much experience to share. That's the point of this blog. Enjoy.
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